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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26858509">Whumptober 2020 Prompt 06 "Stop, please"</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/frankie_mcstein/pseuds/frankie_mcstein'>frankie_mcstein</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Beating, Fluffy Ending, Gen, Higgins Whump, Home Invasion, Protective boys, Whumptober 2020, miggy overtones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:40:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,547</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26858509</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/frankie_mcstein/pseuds/frankie_mcstein</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Whumptober 2020 prompt 06- "Stop, please."</p><p>She should have checked the room before making the call. She was totally unprepared for the blow that left her stunned and helpless.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Juliet Higgins &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947172</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Whumptober 2020 Prompt 06 "Stop, please"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Mild content warning- although I tried not to linger on it, this does contain a female character being tied and beaten by three men. If this is likely to trigger you at all then for goodness sake skip this one!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Her first clue was the front door hanging open; there was no reason she could think of why the door wouldn’t be shut at the very least. It would usually be locked. Lucy was nothing if not careful, and Patrick was near paranoid about home security. So she closed her mouth, open to call Lucy’s name, and stayed quiet. She pushed the door carefully, knowing it wouldn’t squeak, but unable to ignore the years of training and experience that were screaming at her that she needed to move quietly. </p><p> </p><p>Her second clue was the broken wine glass on the floor of the foyer. It must have been dropped the previous evening, neither Lucy nor Patrick were day drinkers. The liquid had half evaporated, leaving a sticky mess on the marbled tiles, and told her she was right about the time frame; in the air conditioned coolness, it would have taken hours for the spill to dry. So why wouldn’t someone have cleaned up the mess?</p><p> </p><p>Her mind ran through a few possibilities- they had been too drunk to notice, the glass had been thrown during an argument- and discounted them almost immediately. She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone as she moved deeper into the house, holding it ready but not dialing. She had enough experience at annoying HPD, even if it was mostly secondhand, that she really didn’t want to call nine-one-one over a missed alarm and a lazy housekeeper.</p><p> </p><p>She was straining her ears for any sign of life, any noise that would tell her that the Russells were home. Or that might suggest someone else, someone less friendly, was in the house with her. There was nothing. No voices, no footsteps, not even a creaking floorboard. Not that Patrick would have permitted a floorboard to remain creaking for long. But still, the silence was absolute. And unnerving. </p><p> </p><p>‘Time to call for backup,’ she told herself, still not saying anything out loud, rubber soles silent on the flooring. A quick swipe of her thumb brought up the non-emergency line for the HPD and she had just enough time to bemoan the loss of the quick and simple one-oh-one number Britain had implemented before the call connected.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, good morning. I rather think I might need the police,” she told the cheery operator. And then the world went white. Higgins had just enough time to curse herself for not clearing the room she was standing by before everything faded to a dull black.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>“They retired out here... a few months ago.” The three men, hurrying to the room they had been called to, nearly skidded as they pulled themselves up short. They all frowned as they listened, noticing, and instantly disliking, how weak Higgins sounded. Rick, closest to the door, peered through.</p><p> </p><p>“Katsumoto’s in with her,” he reported. “Looks like he’s trying to take her statement.” He and T.C. looked to Magnum. Despite what he seemed to think, Magnum hadn’t hidden his changing feelings for Higgins at all, at least not from them, and they were content to follow his lead. If he was happy to wait outside, they would wait with him. If he wanted to burst on in, turf the detective out, and break the jaw of the next person who dared to try to talk to their sister while she had tears in her voice, they would back him to the hilt.</p><p> </p><p>“We should probably let him get what he can while it’s still fresh in her mind,” Magnum said finally, after far too long a pause. It was pretty clear he wanted to go in. Heck, they both wanted to. But two people were dead, a third was in surgery, and Higgins was waiting on x-rays. Her statement was vital if HPD was going to stand a chance of catching the people responsible.</p><p> </p><p>They didn’t move away from the door though, straining their ears to catch every word she was saying. The first sign that she needed a break and all three of them would go in.</p><p> </p><p>“...so I went in.”</p><p> </p><p>“And you called the non-emergency line?” Katsumoto’s voice was soft and calm.</p><p> </p><p>“Not… not right away. I saw the glass… on the… on the floor.” She sounded tired. The nurse who had called Magnum had told him Higgins had been given pretty serious painkillers; it sounded like they were taking their toll.</p><p> </p><p>“So that’s when you called?”</p><p> </p><p>“Mmm. I thought… it was strange… so quiet. But I didn’t...the room was… and I...” She stopped trying to talk as Magnum pushed the door open. He was gratified to see Katsumoto had already closed his notepad.</p><p> </p><p>“Magnum,” the detective greeted. “I was starting to wonder what was keeping you.” His tone made it pretty clear he knew the trio had been hanging around outside the room.</p><p> </p><p>Magnum just nodded, his eyes fixed on Higgins. She was so much paler than normal, the split in her bottom lip standing out vividly, as was the bruise already forming around her left eye. She stared at him as she moved to the side of the bed.</p><p> </p><p>“You okay?” he asked quietly, taking one hand in his, trying not to look at the bruising around the wrist.</p><p> </p><p>She just gave her head a small shake. “I liked Lucy.” Her voice was so full of pain, so close to tears, so far away from how she usually sounded, that Magnum felt his stomach twist. “She was sweet.” Higgins’ face crumpled and a tear slid down her cheek.</p><p> </p><p>Magnum sat on the side of her bed and quickly pulled her close, wrapping his arms as tightly as he dared around her.</p><p> </p><p>He was vaguely aware of Katsumoto leaving, saying he would come back in the morning. Rick and T.C. left with him, muttering something about coffee, to give Higgins some privacy; they knew how much she would hate having an audience while she cried. Magnum whispered nonsense phrases like “there, there” and “it’s okay now” and reminded himself over and over not to rub her back. He hadn’t been given many details over the phone, but he’d been warned about the bruises that were littering her body. </p><p> </p><p>It didn’t take long for the crying to stop; between the painkillers and the exhaustion, Higgins was half asleep after no more than two minutes. Magnum settled her back against the pillows, trying to be careful, and got a tiny, watery smile for his efforts.</p><p> </p><p>“They must have been so scared.” </p><p> </p><p>Magnum couldn’t think of a response, except possibly that ‘scared’ was probably an understatement. From what he had seen on the news, Magnum knew that Lucy and Patrick had been tied up, dragged to Patrick’s study, and beaten so badly they had both died of their injuries. Their housekeeper had been found in the kitchen, barely alive. ‘Terrified’ was probably a much better word for it.</p><p> </p><p>“There was so much blood.”</p><p> </p><p>She was barely whispering now, too tired to speak any louder, but he heard her clearly, and felt his body tense at her words.</p><p> </p><p>“You saw them?” He instantly felt awful for asking. She needed to rest, to recoup. She didn’t need him asking questions. But he needed to know what had happened to her. He had seen her come off the worst in fights before; he needed to know why this one had affected her so badly. But she didn’t answer, just nodded, her eyes fluttering closed as she did. By the time Rick and T.C. came back, peeking into the room before walking in, Higgins was fast asleep.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>“I couldn’t decide if I was just overreacting or if something was actually wrong. So I went with the non-emergency number.” Higgins sounded nearly normal again. She had slept badly, waking time and again with a gasp and jerk, only to find one of her boys sat next to her, holding her hand and telling her she was safe. Each time she had slept a little longer. And now she was finally giving Katsumoto her statement.</p><p> </p><p>“I saw the door to the room, I think it was the library? I saw it was open but didn’t check it before I dialled. I have no idea why.” She pulled a face that told the four men she was not at all pleased. “It’s the stupidest thing I’ve done for a good long while.”</p><p> </p><p>“So, while you were distracted talking to the operator, someone came out of the library and hit you?” Katsumoto was making rapid notes, hand flying across the paper.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.” Higgins moved her arm, as if to lift her hand to her head, but stopped after lifting it just an inch or so, a wince flickering over her face.</p><p> </p><p>Magnum leant forward slightly, trying to keep the movement casual. He had been the only one awake when Higgins had kicked her blanket off in a half-awake panic and had been horrified by the bruises he had seen on her arms and legs. The x-rays had shown none of the bones were broken, but, from the cry of pain she had given at the movement, he was willing to bet she had at least one fracture that had been hidden by the swelling.</p><p> </p><p>“When the haze cleared and I could see again, I was lying on the floor in Patrick’s study. I could see Lucy off to my left. She…” Higgins was trying so hard to be objective but her voice shook slightly. “It was rather obvious she was dead. The human head is not designed to be that shape.”</p><p> </p><p>If Higgins noticed the looks her boys were exchanging, dark and angry, she didn’t comment on them. Katsumoto didn’t say anything either, but he did look up from his notebook long enough to raise a stern eyebrow in Magnum’s direction.</p><p> </p><p>‘This is all important to the case,’ his expression said. ‘Let her talk.’</p><p> </p><p>“I’m afraid I was a little confused; I tried to reach over to check her pulse.” Higgins took a deep breath and set her jaw, clearly not relishing what she was about to say. The words, when they came, were said quickly and flatly, as if she was trying to remove every trace of emotion from her voice. “That was when I noticed my attackers had pulled off my top and used it to tie my wrists together.”</p><p> </p><p>This time the look that passed between the three men was a mixture of shock and fear. This was new information and, remembering how shaken and vulnerable their Higgy had been the previous day, they were all afraid of what they were about to hear.</p><p> </p><p>Katsumoto’s thoughts must have been following a similar track. “Do you want someone else to finish taking your statement? A female officer, maybe?” He held Higgins’ gaze as she gave him a puzzled sort of look.</p><p> </p><p>Her eyes travelled over to take in the faces of the other three men and something suddenly seemed to click. “Oh! No, nothing like that happened. They only took off my shirt, I was still wearing my camisole.” The relief was palpable, and Higgins looked embarrassed. “Sorry. I didn’t think how that would sound.” She looked around the room again, addressing the three men sitting across from her. “They beat the crap out of me,” she told them, still sounding flat and strange as she tried to remove every hint of the fear she had felt, but with a sincerity that told them it was the truth. “They seemed to really enjoy it. Especially when I… when I begged them to stop. But that’s all they did.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not the first time. We think this group is responsible for two other home invasions. Each time, they spent hours attacking the people they found at the property. This is the first time they’ve killed though.” Katsumoto had flipped to a new page in his notebook. “I know this is a hard question to answer, but can you think of anything in particular they did? Anything that we might be able to use to link them to these other crimes?”</p><p> </p><p>Higgins took a deep breath, regretting it instantly as her chest protested the movement, losing what little colour she had gained over the night. She shifted slightly, wincing again as the blanket caught on the various tender spots on her body, and Magnum stood from his chair and crossed the room to stand by her bed.</p><p> </p><p>He slipped an arm around her shoulders, avoiding her left shoulder blade, having learnt at some point during the previous night that there was a bruise larger than his hand forming there. She gave him a grateful look and let him lift her weight forward, her stomach and chest too bruised and sore for her to easily lift herself. He dragged one pillow slightly higher, punching it lightly, then slowly lowered her back down. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay?” he questioned, keeping a close eye on her face for any sign that her latest dose of painkillers was starting to wear off. He returned the small smile she gave him.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m all right, Magnum. Thank you.” She didn’t look all right; the marks that were visible above the top of her hospital gown were livid. The bruise around her eye had gotten worse, swelling through the night until she could only open it halfway. There was a bruise forming on her jaw that looked a lot like a handprint. Purple lines tinged with red were scattered over her neck, an odd criss cross pattern emerging. Her wrists were wrapped to protect the skin that had been torn by her struggles against the impromptu restraints, and her lower arms were purple and blue, with only the occasional flash of fair skin showing through. One bruise in particular, encircling her right elbow, was so badly swollen it was affecting the circulation to her hand and causing her doctor a lot of concern. </p><p> </p><p>Magnum gave her a look that told her he didn’t believe her; a small crease of his forehead and a narrowing of his eyes. She let her fingers slide across the top of the blanket toward him and he gently lifted her hand, wrapping it in both of his, letting the warmth of his skin sink into hers. She gave him another smile, this one smaller, but, somehow, more genuine than the last.</p><p> </p><p>“The one who was in charge? The blonde one. He put his foot on my throat.” That explained the strange pattern; the tread of a shoe. If Magnum hadn’t been holding Higgins’ hand like it was the most precious thing in the world, he would have clenched his fists. “He laughed and said it was his favourite part. Then he leant his weight down onto his one foot.” She swallowed hard, as if assuring herself the weight wasn’t still there. "When he stepped away… that was when his friends let go of my legs and each picked up a book."</p><p> </p><p>It didn't take long for her to finish the rest of the story. Once they got bored of swinging books at her arms and legs, they had broken a chair and used the legs as clubs. The 'leader' as Higgins had called him had flipped a coin, assigning heads as her chest and stomach and tails as her back. The other two had swung the chair legs at the appropriate body part, taking care not to swing too hard and 'spoil the game.' They had laughed every time they had kicked her in the side to make her roll over. Whatever they were planning on doing after that didn't matter; the sound of a man calling "HPD! The door is open, and we're coming in!" sent the group scurrying out of the study.</p><p> </p><p>Higgins seemed utterly exhausted when she had finished talking, slumping against her pillows with heavy lidded eyes. Magnum poured a cup of water, but her hands shook so much when she tried to take it from him that he ended up holding it for her.</p><p> </p><p>Katsumoto flipped his notebook closed. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you that we have every available resource working on this case." He nodded, his lips pursed slightly. "We will catch these men. Just give us a little time." He was trying to simultaneously reassure Higgins that she was safe and warn Magnum away from the case.</p><p> </p><p>He needn't have worried; Rick and T.C. could have told him that, going by the look he was currently sporting, Magnum had no intention of leaving Higgins' side anytime soon. And that was just fine by them. They hadn't missed the look on her face as she'd described how utterly helpless she'd been, how much the animals who had beaten her had enjoyed what they had done. Even if Magnum had been willing to go running around the island, Rick and T.C. wouldn't have been willing to join him. Between the two Marines, two Dobermans, one SEAL, and the state of the art security system the estate boasted, Higgins would be the safest woman on the planet until HPD could catch up with this gang. They just needed to get her home.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>The dogs came bounding over when the Ferrari pulled up to its usual spot on the drive, clearly aware that their mistress was inside it. They stood by the passenger door, shifting and giving tiny, happy whimpers, waiting for the door to open as Magnum slowly walked around the car, hoping he wasn't going to have to play another round of 'Try To Kill The Navy SEAL' with the dogs just yet.</p><p> </p><p>"Just a moment, lads." Higgins sounded awful, quiet and tired and groggy. But the dogs heard and took a few steps back and watched as Magnum opened the door and offered his arm to Higgins. </p><p> </p><p>Magnum half expected the twin terrors to lunge at him when they realized he was touching Higgins. Instead they both whined as she stood so very slowly from the seat, immediately knowing something was terribly wrong but not knowing what or how to fix it. As the two humans made their way to the common area of the main building, the two dogs followed along behind them, heads hanging sadly.</p><p> </p><p>"I know it's not the same as your own bed," Magnum apologized as he led Higgins over to the couch where he had slept so well while the guest house was being fumigated. "T.C. wanted to bring your bed down here, but I didn't think you'd be too happy with that." He was so relieved to hear the tiny huff of laughter Higgins gave that he didn't even flinch as the two dogs pushed closer, paws landing on his toes.</p><p> </p><p>Higgins held out her hands and the dogs took it as an invite to ignore their usual rules and clamber onto the couch with her.</p><p> </p><p>"It's only for a day or two, until I can handle the stairs, but thank you." It was painfully obvious that Higgins knew she wouldn't be headed up the stairs in a day or two; she had flinched away as Apollo came close to landing a paw on her leg, fearing the pain that would surge up at the contact.</p><p> </p><p>Privately, Magnum was pretty sure she shouldn't have been discharged, but she had looked so happy at the thought of coming home that he hadn't had the heart to tell the doctor her bedroom wasn't on ground level. Instead, he and Rick and T.C. had exchanged a quick look and a nod that said they would do whatever their Higgy needed them to do in order to keep that small smile on her face.</p><p> </p><p>So he hovered protectively as the lads shifted until they were both sprawled on the couch, pressed gently against their adored mistress, and her hands were running over their backs. Higgins' eyes closed, the comfort of the familiar surroundings and the presence of her dogs helping her to relax a little more than she had managed in the hospital. She didn't even notice when Magnum left the room.</p><p> </p><p>The dogs both raised their heads as he walked back in carrying a glass of water but just as quickly dropped them down again. Apparently, for now at least, they had decided his ability to protect Higgins outweighed how amusing his yells for help were.</p><p> </p><p>"Here you go, girl. You need to drink plenty, remember?" He was careful to keep his voice low and was rewarded with a small, grateful look as Higgins took the glass and sipped at the water. Rick and T.C. would be over soon, with overnight bags in hand, ready to mount guard over Higgins to protect her from the gang that HPD was still having trouble tracking down. Or to just chatter aimlessly to provide background noise while she fell asleep. Or to hold her hands and whisper soothing nonsense when she woke up, crying out in pain and fear.</p><p> </p><p>And if they happened to accidentally discuss how best to circumvent Katsumoto and get their hands on the men responsible for attacking so many people, for killing Lucy and Patrick and putting their housekeeper in a coma, for hurting their Higgy, well, it was just idle chatter. No harm ever came from idle chatter.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm so mean to Higgins. I swear, I adore her!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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